West Des Moines Community Schools will break ground next week on the planned $22 million career and technical education addition to its Valley Southwoods Freshman High School. As part of the Valley Southwoods 10-Year Facilities Master Plan, the 39,000-square-foot addition will provide space for students to study vocational and technical fields, including culinary arts, metals and robotics. “This addition will bring the educational programming at Valley Southwoods to current-day standards and allow us to be future-ready for whatever the job market demands in our community,” Mitch Kuhnert, principal at Valley Southwoods, said in a release. Other changes planned as part of the project include transitioning the existing media center into a presentation hall, remodeling the current food service kitchen spaces and renovating the main entrance to create a secure entry. The groundbreaking is scheduled for May 23 at 4:30 p.m., at Valley Southwoods. The addition is designed by Shive-Hattery and is expected to be complete by August 2023.